1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plaque for holding a portion of cremated remains of a deceased loved one or pet. The plaque is very discrete as to its contents, making it suitable for display in home or office.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Cremation is on the rise driven in part by a tougher economy causing many more families to choose cremation. Cremated remains are usually delivered to the family in an urn or box. According to the Cremation Association of North America, one third of people who received cremated remains bury them, one third keep them and the last third scatter them. Each of these methods is place dependent and does not satisfy the needs of family members who are dispersed. Hence for some families there is an emotional need to divide the ashes.
The recipient of a divided part of the cremated remains may scatter or bury the ashes. For those who keep the ashes there are small decorative urns into which the divided ashes may be placed or cremation jewelry with a small inner chamber for ashes. Many people, however, are squeamish about cremated remains. Visitors in a home or office may feel uncomfortable around even a small urn and some people may be uncomfortable around a person wearing cremation jewelry.
There are memorial plaques for outdoor or indoor placement identifying the deceased which do not contain ashes and there are plaques attached to memorial urns for indoor use, the latter of which keep the ashes nearby. What is needed, however, is a receptacle for a divided portion of the cremated remains that is discrete about its contents, not a memento mori.